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There’s something strangely paradoxical about Porsche‘s newest 911. The GT3, for those less conversant in the 911 catalog, is the one engineered to meet FIA GT and American Le Mans Series homologation rules as a street-legal racer. Funny thing is, despite all the adjustable race-hardened suspension bits, the low-profile 19-inch footwear, and the high-revving 415-horsepower naturally aspirated engine, the car is comfortable, tractable, and docile enough for commuting.

Hard-core Porschephiles, please don’t be alarmed at that revelation. Your weekend-warrior isn’t softening with age. Indeed most of the new hardware is actually hardened. Like the 996-based GT3 that preceded it (Motor Trend, April 2004), this new car rides on a modified Carrera 4S unibody (a 23.8-gallon fuel tank fills the void vacated by the front diff in this rear-driver), modified for frontal-crash performance and to clear the dry-sump oil reservoir in back. The 997 bodywork improves structural rigidity by eight percent in torsion and 40 percent in bending. Borrowing the aluminum doors and trunklid from the Turbo and fitting a new composite engine cover shaves 44 pounds.

Brake upgrades include 0.8-inch-larger rear rotors (13.8-inch) with the standard steel brakes and much bigger front rotors (15.0-inch versus 13.8) on the optional ceramic composite brakes. Switching from steel to aluminum hub carriers on the high-buck binders trims two pounds per corner, bringing the total weight savings to 44 pounds relative to the all-steel brakes. Ceramic insulators on the caliper pistons help keep the brake fluid from boiling on both systems. Wheels are an inch larger in diameter all around (19s) and an inch wider in back (12.0). They’re wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires whose steel-belt mesh patterns, gummy rubber compound, and asymmetric tread pattern were tailored to complement the GT3’s chassis. Dry grip is astonishing, but a shallow tread presents a hydroplaning risk, and a tread-wear rating of 80 suggests avid racers might want to pursue Michelin sponsorship.

It’s the suspension upgrades that transform this new GT3. As before, the anti-roll bars offer five adjustments in front, three in back; and camber can be adjusted up to six degrees. Stiffer front springs and anti-roll bar and metal bushings in place of rubber ones on some rear-suspension links bode ill for ride quality, but Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) saves the day. The Carrera’s (optional) computer-controlled dampers are recalibrated for competition and fitted with a threaded spring perches to raise or lower each corner and balance individual wheel loads to suit a particular track. The less aggressive setting rounds the edges off of bumps and potholes and improves tire contact on rougher racetracks, while the firm setting restricts body motions to the absolute minimum on smooth tracks.

An almost equal measure of credit for the GT3’s newfound performance and civility is afforded by the reworked 3.6-liter engine, which gains 35 horsepower and 14 pound-feet (298) without adding a single cc of displacement. Instead, the new engine breathes better and revs faster (see sidebar). Second through fifth-gear ratios are shortened just enough to account for the larger tires and equalize spacing between the first five gears. Porsche’s notoriously conservative claim for 0-to-60 mph is 4.1 seconds–two-tenths quicker than the last GT3. Subtracting that increment from our 996 GT3’s performance suggests 3.7 might be more like it.

One last technical triumph deserves special attention: the aerodynamics. Porsche has miraculously managed to lower the drag coefficient from 0.30 to 0.29, while producing true downforce of 22 pounds in front and 55 pounds in back, at 186 mph. That’s not a lot, but the fact that there’s never any lift at either end serves to make the GT3 feel incredibly stable–at least at observed speeds of up to 170 mph. Several of the styling elements that distinguish the GT3 are responsible for this miracle. The vent just ahead of the front luggage compartment lid exhausts the air flowing through the large central radiator, instead of letting it build up under the car, as in all other 911s. A front air dam and a smooth, flat underbody cover minimize airflow and drag beneath the car. The rear wing produces the downforce in back, while the Gurney-lip on the engine cover beneath it helps detach the boundary layer and reduce drag. The angle of attack of the wing is adjustable from the zero-degree baseline to three or six degrees, increasing drag and rear downforce. In its slipperiest configuration, the GT3 can hit 192 mph.

There’s at least 10 more pages of cool techie stuff to chew on, but we’re out of espresso, so let’s hop in and share a perfect day in the life of a GT3. You step out of your Valpolicella villa, slip into the cosseting Alcantara-lined seat, and twist the key, leaving all the adjustables in their default positions. Heading up over the Dolomite foothill in the backyard, there’s delight in every shift of the Alcantara-swathed shifter. Its rifle-bolt action and shortened throws feel way more precise than the Carrera’s. The same can be said of the Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel. It commands a rack that’s identical to the Carrera’s, but with the ultra-sticky Michelins delivering extra information, the twitches and tickles at the wheel rim are just that much more sublime. Clutch take-up and accelerator control are similarly predictable and precise. And the ceramic brakes seem capable of delivering infinite retardation, metered out one inch-pound at a time. There’s quite simply no lost motion in any of the controls. No slop. Every action prompts a linear, predictable reaction, making this among the most intuitive cars on the planet.

Down in the valley, you enter the autostrada and tuck in behind an Audi S8 running nearly double Italy’s 80-mph speed limit. The antisocial bastard does the unthinkable and passes an inconsiderate left-lane bandit on the right. When the boob merges right, you double-downshift and achieve closing velocity within seconds, noting that the heft at the helm hasn’t lightened one iota. The nose never wanders, there’s no shepherding required, no sweat for the suede-y steering wheel rim to absorb.

In no time, you wheel into the Autodromo at Adria (near the Adriatic) and suit up for a few hot laps of this tight 1.5-mile track. Now it’s time to push buttons. One firms up the PASM shock calibration (Adria is new, and perfectly smooth); the other “sport” button changes the engine mapping and switches to a more aggressive traction-control program. (Stability control isn’t offered, but with such grippy tires and a mechanical limited-slip differential providing 28 percent lockup under power and 40 percent on overrun, experienced racers don’t need it.)

This motorcycle-centric track consists of several long straights and hairpin turns, affording plenty of opportunity to row the gearbox and listen to the spectacular exhaust note. In Sport mode, the exhaust flap opens early (1800 versus 4200 rpm, when the hammer’s down). This, along with other engine-mapping tricks adds about 13 horsepower and 11 pound-feet of torque between 3000 and 4200 rpm. With each lap, you brake a bit later and deeper, achieving deceleration that could detach retinas, and there’s still no hint of ABS intervention, indicating there’s more in reserve.

The last couple turns are slow enough that full power applied on the exit breaks the tires loose, flashing the traction control light without noticeably slowing the car. Switch it off completely, and it becomes possible to slide the car, though not without extreme manhandling of the sort that will slow the car down. The rear end breaks away gently and with plenty of notice. Toward the end of the session–this one’s not for any trophies–you decide to play with the buttons. Switch the shocks back to comfort mode and the bit of extra body roll permitted upsets the rear axle enough to induce wheelspin and traction-control intervention in several other turns. Switch off the sport-mode setting, and though the traction control becomes more conservative there’s actually less chance of wheelspin, because there’s less midrange power and torque with the exhaust flaps closed.

After some light refreshment with your pals, you climb in, set all the buttons, the cruise- and climate-controls to easy-does-it mode and motor home in reasonable calm and comfort, contemplating a grand day out.

You could commute in the GT3. But denying this $106,795 masterpiece its competitive birthright would be a travesty. But you could be forgiven for reverting this GT3 to commuter duty late this year, when you succumb to the temptation of the even higher-performing GT3 RS.

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